Short Summary

FIFTEEN HUNDRED SOLDIERS LOYAL TO PRESIDENT ROMULO BETANCOURT OF VENEZUELA CRUSHED A TWO-DAY REVOLT IN THE CITY OF CARUPANO MAY 5 AND CAPTURED ITS LEADERS.

"SABRE" JET AIRCRAFT OPENED THE ATTACK, AND THEIR MACHINE-GUN AND ROCKET FIRE FORCED THE BULK OF THE INSURGENTS OUT INTO THE HILLS SURROUNDING THE AIRPORT AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITY.

Description

FIFTEEN HUNDRED SOLDIERS LOYAL TO PRESIDENT ROMULO BETANCOURT OF VENEZUELA CRUSHED A TWO-DAY REVOLT IN THE CITY OF CARUPANO MAY 5 AND CAPTURED ITS LEADERS.

"SABRE" JET AIRCRAFT OPENED THE ATTACK, AND THEIR MACHINE-GUN AND ROCKET FIRE FORCED THE BULK OF THE INSURGENTS OUT INTO THE HILLS SURROUNDING THE AIRPORT AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITY. SPOTTER PLANES THEN DIRECTED GOVERNMENT ARTILLERY WITH DEADLY ACCURACY BEFORE THE SOLDIERS BEGAN MOVING INTO THE CITY. THE REBELS, COMPRISING 450 MARINES AND NEARLY 100 DESCRIBED AS "COMMUNISTS AND EXTREME LEFTISTS," FOUGHT FROM BALCONIES, ROOFTOPS, AND WINDOWS BEFORE THEY WERE OVERWHELMED. THE REBEL CASUALTY LIST RECORDED FORTY DEAD AND FIFTY WOUNDED. GOVERNMENT TROOPS SUFFERED TWO DEAD AND TEN WOUNDED.

THE REBELS HAD SEIZED THE CITY MAY 4 AND HAD SET UP A "PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENT" AIMED AT ESTABLISHING A "REALLY DEMOCRATIC VENEZUELA." BUT PRESIDENT BETANCOURT HAD CHARGED THAT THE UPRISING WAS COMMUNIST-LED AND PLANNED TO SET UP A REGIME SIMILAR TO THE CASTRO-REGIME IN CUBA. AMONG THE REBEL LEADERS CAPTURED WAS CAPTAIN JESUS TEODORO MOLINA VILLEGAS. HE HAD BEEN IDENTIFIED BY THE REBEL RADIO AS THE MILITARY LEADER OF THE REVOLT, AND HAS NOW BEEN RETURNED TO CARACAS TO AWAIT TRIAL.

REPORTS FROM CARACAS MAY 9 SAY TWO PERSONS WERE KILLED AND TWENTY INJURED AS STUDENT-LED DISTURBANCES CONTINUED IN SEVERAL VENEZUELAN CITIES.